The North Wing at St Barts Place: St Barts, Smith Field EC1A [map] Times: 10 to 4 (just Mon and Tue, and first Sun of month) Price: free In brief: art, stairs and hall Web:barts-north-wing.org.uk/go Stay: half an hour
Have you been to The North Wing at St Barts? I think it's a place you might well like to go. A lot of cash has just been spent to make it look great and it does now look fab. Some might go as far as to say "wow!"
St Barts has been a place of health since the year one one two three. Now it's huge but back then it was small so has had to grow to keep up with the pace of change. Much was built fresh when the king on the throne was George Two, and the first part to be built at that time was the North Wing. A man called James Gibbs made the plans, and what a good job he did.
The North Wing is a long block with two floors which has a grand hall up top. It's been used for a lot of things in its time, though more as a place for desks not wards for the sick. But as it got old the roof leaked and the paint peeled and it was not in a good state. So nine years back funds were raised for a full fix and a long deep clean. They scrubbed the stone, stripped the slates and put new paint on the clock. They took out all the glass you look through and took time to mend the frames. They fixed six steel struts so they could gild the roof. They touched up the art with a fine brush, hid pipes and hung some lights. And it's now been five months since they let us back in to gasp in awe at all the work for the first time, so have you been yet? I have now been.
If you know St Barts church near the old meat halls, that's where you head. Go through the arch to the big quad and turn left, the door you need will have a sign in front, then push like the sign says and go in. A man at a desk will say hi and point the way (or at least I met a man here, you might not). There's no need to pay, it's free to go in, but feel free to tap for five pounds if you like. A sound guide to hear facts as you walk round can be hired but I did not pay for that.
In front of you is a sight of pure awe. The whole wall is a large scale work of art, on both sides all the way up the stairs. The man who did this was called Will (he has a last name too but I can't type that, it's too long, but if you know his prints of Beer Street and Gin Lane at the Soane you'll know who I mean). Two scenes are shown with Christ at their heart - in one a lame man is told to walk and in one a half dead man is helped by a Good man who stopped when two priests passed by. These are apt tales for a place of health, and Will's brush has brought the tales to life. Look up and that's great too, not just the fine twirls on the roof but the gold lamp with its ten lit arms. You may be so moved you want to praise all the hard work done but don't clap, the crack team who did this are long gone.
At the top of the stairs there's more. You could go straight on to the Great Hall but I say it's best to watch the film first. This lasts less than one sixth of an hour and tells how the North Wing was built and how they fixed it. Take a seat and watch. If you think the boss of the trust has a well known last name yes, his dad worked with John Cleese in the cult show about a snake, and his son Will is now a big cheese in the world of large scale make do and mend. Sit through to the end of the film and you'll have a good gist of the room that is to come. Then stand up and go through.
This is the Great Hall and great is the right word, a long room with a gold and white roof plus boards on all the walls. The swirls up top are by a French pro called Jean, this his sole U.K. work, and if you look hard you may see eggs, bells, oak leaves and wreaths. As for the boards on the walls these list all those who gave cash to St Barts, loads and loads of them, in long gold lists. It seems those who ran St Barts once used the Great Hall for feasts and meals to raise funds, in the hope that those wowed by the stairs and awed by the room would dig deep and help fund the place. It must have worked.
Health care used to be just for those who could pay, so thank the Lord for kind men who gave alms so that the poor could be cared for and made well. It sure makes you rate the N.H.S. when you see the sums they had to give back then to keep St Barts in the black. Rob Cox Esq, Ben Cole Esq, John Dent Esq; all these men gave the same half ton a long time back, in their case in the reign of George the Third. And these are just three of the scores of men on scores of boards that wrap the walls. We thank them, and the rest.
So rife are the boards that not much room is left for much else. One big frame shows the king with six wives in oils, he the one who let St Barts go on once all the monks were sacked. The spouse of Queen Vic is hung on the side wall, the sum he gave far less than I'd have thought a top world chief could spare. Just one niche has stained glass, this too with buff King Hal at its heart, and I must say it looks great when the sun shines through. But true art is thin on the ground in the Great Hall, the true thrill is the space and not the long long lists of names.
The bad news is the North Wing at St Barts is closed most of the time. You can go in if the day is Mon or Tue but not Wed, Thu, Fri or Sat, and as for Sun it's just the first one of the month. Damn, 1st March has just gone by so you missed that. In more bad news it's closed on the first Sun next month because that's Egg Day so if you have a job your next chance to go in is 3rd May. But if you think you might like to go then do make a note, and yes it's free, as the North Wing is quite some sight to see.
